Chapter 2

When I dropped by the company to see Dominic, I ran into Tiana in the elevator.

Tiana recognized me and offered her hand to me with a smile. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Hatterson. I'm Mr. Hatterson's assistant, Tiana Ashford," she said openly and naturally.

She pressed one of the buttons before taking a step back to stand next to me. A few seconds later, she received a call.

"Dom? He usually skips lunch and just has a cup of coffee. He's used to it."

After ending the call, Tiana smiled at me. "Are you here to have lunch with Dom, Mrs. Hatterson?"

The elevator doors slid open. I didn't answer.

When I entered Dominic's office, he was flipping through a document. He didn't even bother to look up.

I placed the insulated food container on his desk and asked, "You don't eat lunch anymore?"

"I skip it sometimes when I'm too busy," he replied.

Tiana knocked on the door and entered the office to deliver a document to Dominic. When she noticed the food container, she smiled and said, "You're so thoughtful, Mrs. Hatterson. You immediately made braised ribs for Dom after he mentioned craving them last time."

My hand froze in midair just as I was about to serve the braised ribs to Dominic.

Dominic kept his head down as he ate. He didn't lift his head.

Eventually, Tiana left, leaving the two of us alone in the office.

"She knows you quite well," I said.

"Who?" Dominic asked.

"Ms. Ashford. She knows that you skip lunch and only have coffee."

Dominic placed his fork down. "She's my assistant, Cassandra. Understanding my work habits is part of her job."

"Is that so?"

"What are you thinking about now? You're the only one in my heart," Dominic said with a sigh as he kept his head down and continued eating.

…

That night, Dominic worked late until 10:00 pm.

When I dropped by the study to deliver a plate of fruit to him, I noticed that his phone screen was lit up. Tiana had sent him a selfie.

Right in front of me, Dominic turned the phone over and placed it face down on the desk. "It's a work-related issue," he said.

"I didn't ask."

I set the plate of fruits on the desk and left the study. My hand lingered on the doorknob for two seconds, but Dominic didn't call out to me.

…

Dominic had promised to make it up to me on Sunday for missing our wedding anniversary.

The waiter led us to a table when we arrived at the restaurant. "The usual table, Mr. Hatterson?" he asked with a smile.

He led us to the second booth by the window, making it clear that it wasn't Dominic's first time at the restaurant.

I stared at the empty seat opposite me after I sat down, asking, "Have you taken others here before?"

Dominic's hand froze for a moment as he poured a glass of water for me. "I took one of my clients here. Why?"

"Nothing. It's just that this is a really good spot."

Dominic left to use the restroom. When he returned, he served some braised ribs to me.

"Dominic, have you noticed that there seems to be another person between us now?"

His hands froze for a moment as he peeled a shrimp. He recovered a few seconds later and continued peeling. "Who? Why would you suddenly say that?"

"It's nothing. I was just asking."

Dominic placed the peeled shrimp on my plate.

…

Dominic's phone lit up after dinner was over. He shifted his body to the side to reply to the message, but I managed to catch a glimpse of his screen from the corner of my eye.

The message was from Tiana.

"See you tomorrow, Dom."

Dominic replied with an emoji before locking his screen and taking my hand. "Let's go."

As he led me out of the restaurant, I looked down at our joined hands.

The streetlights shone on us, casting our shadows on the ground. My shadow trailed after Dominic's.

I suddenly recalled how Dominic had held my hand for the first time when I was 18 years old. My heart had been filled with nothing but him at the time when I closed my eyes.

I closed my eyes and touched his wrist. There were still two faces. One of them belonged to me while the other belonged to Tiana. Our faces were split into perfect halves.

Dominic turned to look at me, asking me why I had stopped walking.

"Let's go," I said.

He held my hand tightly when I caught up to him. He took my hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world, just like before.

But I knew that everything had changed.